by Avery Gale
Wrapping his hand around her wrist, Tristan drew lazy circles over the inside of her wrist, smiling when her pulse rate accelerated and her eyes dilated—Perfect. For several seconds, Carli stood completely still—something he doubted happened with any regularity. He looked look forward to helping her still the restlessness that kept her from truly feeling content—keeping her sexually sated would go a long way to calming the turbulence he saw in her brilliant green eyes. “Come.” He didn’t give her a chance to argue, nor did he release the hold he had on her—the flair he saw in her eyes when she heard his brusque command was enough to send blood rushing to his cock, swelling it to the point walking down the hall to his office was bordering on painful.
Surprising him, she made no effort to pull her slender wrist from his grasp until he turned to close the door behind him. “Wait. I don’t see my sister. Je ne le connais pas.
Flipping the switch to frost the glass looking out over the club, Tristan tightened his grip around her wrist not wanting to break the connection between them. Her softly spoken last words and lapse into French let him know just how unsettled she was feeling. “You just told me you did in fact know me, mon cher. Jamais je ne te ferai de mal.” Carli went completely still, Tristan wasn’t sure if it was because he’d referred to her as my dear or that he’d noted the fear in her voice and promised to never hurt her. The surprise was easy to see in her glittering green eyes, and he couldn’t help but wonder why she had assumed he wouldn’t understand what she’d said. Carli’s eyes were so similar to those he’d seen staring back at from across his desk less than a month ago—the color was almost identical, but there was a depth of knowledge in this woman’s gaze he hadn’t seen in her sister’s. Tristan was willing to bet whatever weighed so heavily on her heart was the root of her restlessness.
“I don’t know why I didn’t consider that you would speak French.” He smiled at her but didn’t respond. “British, educated, wealthy, titled—of course you speak the language sure to melt the panties off any woman who crosses your path.” Her flip attitude and inability to keep quiet was going to give them endless opportunities to paddle her sweet ass, a challenge he was looking forward to more with each passing minute.
Leading her to the chair her sister had occupied not so long ago, he frowned when she stubbornly stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Tristan doubted she realized how perfectly the gesture of obstinacy lifted her lovely breasts in a delectable display—a challenge no respectable Dom would ever walk away from.
Rounding his desk, he crossed his arms over his chest mirroring her pose and arched a brow at her in question. Tristan was certain Carli hadn’t heard Parker enter the office, from what he’d heard about his friend’s interactions with the woman standing defiantly in front of him, their relationship was adversarial to say the least. What Tristan didn’t know was if their power struggle was genuine annoyance or simply foreplay.
Chapter Eighteen
Parker watched his newest client lift her chin defiantly at Tristan and the answering light in his best friend’s eyes had him leaning against the doorframe to watch the showdown. Tristan’s voice was pure ice as sound, “Sit. Down. Now.” Carli hesitated a split second before she literally dropped into the chair so quickly it scooted backward inelegantly across the polished wood floor. Parker wasn’t able to hold back his snort of laughter at Tristan’s quietly uttered, “Yoga, perhaps.”
Parker wondered if Carli would understand the insult Tristan had just thrown her way—and he didn’t have to wait long for his answer. Carli stood with all the elegance of woman who spent most of her waking hours in front of a camera—whether it was for work or the paparazzi that followed her endlessly. Pivoting gracefully around to face him, her smile was one he’d seen her use for business associates he knew she would rather not deal with—to the casual observer, it would have seemed perfectly polite, but Parker wasn’t fooled. “Mr. Daniels, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? Are you here to escort me to see my sister, perhaps? Since that is why I’m here, it seems like a reasonable assumption.” And just that quickly, the ice princess mask slid into place. Tristan’s surprised expression was so fleeting, Parker almost missed it—yeah, you are getting a clue, buddy. Welcome to my world.
Using his shoulder to shove away from the dark mahogany doorframe, Parker stood to his full height. At six foot four inches he towered over Carli, when he’d made his way to her in measured steps she was forced to look up to meet his gaze. Parker’s years playing collegiate football in Texas as a linebacker hadn’t been enough to earn him a professional career, but it had left him with a lingering passion for weightlifting so he was still in excellent physical condition. The hours he spent working out in the club’s gym not only kept him in shape but also served as a great way to relieve the everyday stress of dealing with difficult clients, like the one staring up at him now.
Parker knew his open-front leather vest and low-slung black jeans left little to the imagination, and he wasn’t opposed to pressing any advantage when it came to dealing with Carli Walker. Her eyes heated in appreciation as they slowly worked their way down his torso. He saw the pretty green shade of her eyes darken as they dilated when she’d seen his erection pressing relentlessly against the well-worn denim. When she’d licked her lips, his cock twitched to paint them with pearly pre-cum before sliding between them to find his satisfaction.
Carli’s eyes ordinarily reminded him of shamrocks in the spring, but by the time her eyes met his once again the irises had darkened so much they looked more like the towering Loblolly pine trees of eastern Texas. “Like what you see, princess?” He knew his words were going to antagonize her, but the truth was he needed to stall long enough for his friends to settle their sweet sub. He had to give Law and Brodie credit, they’d called it perfectly and just pulled off one of the hottest and most intricately choreographed “spontaneous scenes” he’d ever seen. Law had argued Cressida was going to be too nervous and too deep in her own head to enjoy her first night at the club unless they started the minute she walked in—and he’d been right. Now they’d be able to settle her with a bit of cuddling before touring the club. And in the meantime, he and Tristan needed to keep the Ice Princess busy enough she didn’t ruin her younger sister’s first experience at The Knight’s Club.
“Don’t be an ass, Parker. I’m sure you already know the effect you have on most women.” Tristan flashed Parker a smile over Carli’s head making him want to throw something at the man who had been his best friend for more than a decade. The fact she’d excluded herself from the group of women who appreciated his appearance intrigued him because it was such a blatant lie—he’d been a Dom for a long time and knew sexual interest when he saw it, what he didn’t know was why she was so adamant in her denial.
“Lying has consequences, princess—don’t ever forget that.”
“And that includes lying by omission, just so we’re clear.” Tristan’s voice had shifted subtly, moving almost imperceptibly once again from businessman to Dom—but anyone who knew Tristan Harris knew the switch wasn’t one to be ignored. When Carli turned to look at Tristan—her brows raised in question, she sent the silken waves of her chestnut colored hair cascading over her shoulder. The indirect lighting in Tristan’s office emphasized the natural highlights Parker had noticed the first time he’d met her. He knew those variations in color were natural—he’d seen hints of them in her sister’s hair as well, but with Carli everything was magnified to the nth degree, it was no wonder the camera worshipped her.
He wanted to laugh when he saw her chin lift in defiance, “I don’t lie.”
“Princess, you’ve lied twice since I walked in the room and I just got here—so you’d be well advised to quit while you’re ahead.”
“Indeed, mon cher, because quite frankly you aren’t that far ahead.”
Parker smiled in a way he was certain she wouldn’t doubt he was anything but pleased. “True enough. The way I see it, sweet cheeks here has stormed i
nto a private club demanding information about a woman she claims is her sister. She hasn’t provided any verification of their relationship or given us a valid reason to believe the woman she is looking for is here.”
“And even if she did, I wouldn’t be able to confirm said individual’s membership status or presence on the property—we’re quite serious about privacy, you know.” Tristan wasn’t prone to mocking, but it was obvious he was enjoying himself immensely.
Carli spun around once again, narrowing her eyes at Tristan, “Are you serious? You’re going to throw me out? Oh shit, are you going to call the police? Because trust me when I tell you, they don’t like me much already—they’d probably love to drop kick me to Sing-Sing.”
Carli had no more than spoken than both men went from playing smoke and mirrors with her to completely focused fury. Parker knew her bullshit meter had been red-lining, and he’d appreciated the fact she’d played along enough that he’d been able to see she actually did have a sense of humor buried beneath that beautiful exterior. But her comment about the police not liking her had him switching from casual teasing to hyper-alert in the blink of an eye. Parker had actually felt everything inside him shift from the relaxed posture of a man who was enjoying a bit of mild flirting with a hot woman straight to overprotective alpha male in the time it had taken her to draw her next breath.
“Mon cher, explain yourself.” Tristan’s tone had left no question that he’d fully stepped into Dom-mode, and his friend’s body posture shift was just as obvious.
“Yeah, princess—start talking. Right now. All of it.” What the fuck does she think her agency hired me to do? Play goddamned tiddly-winks? There shouldn’t be anything happening that involved the police that I wasn’t notified about.
Putting her hands up in surrender, Carli spoke quickly, “Whoa, I didn’t say it was recently. Wow, lighten up on the caveman switch-a-roo.” I swear if she doesn’t stop talking shit I’m going to give the Ice Princess a crash course in over-the-knee punishment. “It’s been several weeks since I’ve talked to the police.” Several weeks? Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, her agency hired me almost four months ago. “But honestly, the detectives I talked to didn’t seem like dudes who would forget a dis after a couple of wake-ups.”
“What the hell did she just say?” Parker wanted to laugh at Tristan’s confusion—American slang was so fluid, the man had given up mastering it years ago.
“Junior high school age gang-banger speak for disrespecting someone and expecting them to get over it in a couple of days. Princess, that sort of slang doesn’t suit you. You have far too much class to speak that way. I don’t know where you’re picking that up, but it needs to stop.” Parker was surprised to see her gaze drop to the floor, and Tristan’s raised brow showed he was surprised by the clear sign of submission as well.
Tristan nodded once before turning his attention to Carli, “Revise and start again, mon cher.” Parker saw her shoulders drop slightly letting him know she’d backed away from her earlier defensiveness.
“I’ve only had a couple of calls since my agency hired you.” Parker knew her words were directed at him, but she still hadn’t looked up from the floor. “I’m not sure why, but I’d guess it means my problem was someone close to me and now they don’t want to deal with you. The asshole wasn’t afraid of the police—but then who would be, they weren’t at all interested in helping me. They had the same opinion so many other people share, they think if you are a celebrity you have somehow asked for it. I never aspired to become famous—that isn’t why I started modeling.” Parker knew Tristan almost as well as he knew himself and gave a quick shake of his head when he saw the shift in his posture, the one he knew signaled he planned to alleviate the uncomfortable silence that now filled the room.
When neither of them spoke, Carli took a deep breath and continued, “My sister thinks I started modeling so I could fund my graduate studies, but that isn’t actually true—and I don’t want her to ever know the truth. Promise me you won’t tell her what I’m going to share—or I won’t. I’ll walk away from here and never look back. I’ll find my sister and we’ll disappear.” The hair on the back of Parker’s neck was standing straight up, not because of Carli’s insolent attitude or the threat she’d just made, but the pain and sincerity in her voice tore something loose in his soul and the surge of protectiveness he suddenly felt for Carli almost took him to his knees.
Parker stepped closer to Carli forcing her to look up to make eye contact, “Princess, you can trust us—always, to do the right thing. The only reason we’d divulge a confidence would be when it involved your safety and by extension, your sister’s. From what I’ve seen, your younger sister is bright and insightful, is it possible you are underestimating her ability to deal with whatever you’re about to say?”
Carli rubbed her hand absently along the back of her neck and for the first time he noticed the dark shadows beneath her pretty green eyes. There were also fine lines of muscle strain bracketing her eyes and mouth, from the way she was massaging the back of her neck he assumed she was battling a headache as well. “Maybe, I don’t really know anymore. I’m sorry, I’m just really tired. I got your messages and then that weird one and I just panicked and hopped the first flight home I could get after we finished the shoot. Without having tickets in advance I had to be really creative with transportation—I won’t be riding in the back of a truck hauling chickens again for a long while I promise you that.”
“What weird message? And what makes you think Cressida is here?” Tristan had stepped around Carli and gently moved her fingers aside to massage her neck and shoulders. For a few seconds her eyes lost focus and Parker thought his cock was going to burst when she groaned in pleasure.
“I track her phone. Hell, I think everybody and their dog is tracking her fucking phone. And I got a message from some guy saying Cressi was stalking him but he wouldn’t go to the police if I’d encourage her to stop.” Parker felt like someone had flooded his veins with ice water.
“Princess, I need to see your phone—right fucking now.”
Chapter Nineteen
Lawton leaned against the marble mantle of Tristan’s fireplace, letting his fingers skim over the cool surface enjoying the natural cut of the stone. Tristan’s condo occupied the top floor of the building that housed The Knight’s Club and the décor of the main sitting room was so reminiscent of a medieval castle Lawton had wondered more than once if his friend wasn’t actually a time traveler. He’d just spent several hours down in the club’s security office refining his hacking skills as he traced the information from Carli Walker’s phone. Thankfully, Dale Roberts hadn’t made much of an attempt to elude detection, which that alone was part of Brodie’s argument they were being set up.
“I don’t give a flying fuck if he let us find him, we still have to follow it up. And if he’s done what I think he has, we don’t dare involve the police.” Parker paced as he spoke and Law was sure it was the only thing keeping the man from blowing a gasket.
“Tell me again why you think the police will believe a man who has made computer hacking a lifelong career as opposed to a young woman who would stand to gain nothing by incriminating him.”
“And they might believe Cressida—eventually, but by then her reputation and self-esteem will have taken far too big of a hit. You can shield her from a lot, Brodie, but you can’t shield her from public opinion, hell, the fact she is involved with two men is reason enough for most of the law enforcement community to look at her differently and you know it.”
Lawton knew Parker Daniel’s well enough to see his frustration was building, but the man was rock solid and even though he was obviously interested in Carli, Law didn’t think that was enough to skew his judgement about her sister’s safety. Parker finally turned to him, “Goddammit, Lawton, say something. I’m not getting anywhere here, we need to plan this carefully. Dale Roberts is a wild card, his psychological workup kept him out of the club—hell, he didn’t even make i
t all the way through the first interview before it was clear he didn’t belong here. Christ, him believing he is a member scares the hell out of me. Personally, I don’t think he belongs in any club and the fact he’s managed to get up a pretty decent following in that chatroom is a testament to how easily people can be misled when it comes to BDSM. Hell, the conversations we’ve seen in that room make me shudder and I didn’t think there was anything left that could surprise me.”
Lawton was in complete agreement on that point, some of the threads he’d read had been downright disgusting while others were so blatantly inaccurate he wondered how many of the submissives had ended up in emergency rooms around the city because they’d been misinformed.
“I think you are wasting time debating something you both know we’re going to do no matter what the consequences. I don’t want to hit all the rungs on the legal ladder just because it will take too damned long.” Turning to Brodie, Law lifted a brow, “If you don’t want to go out to the man’s estate, stay here with Cressida and Carli. I understand your concern that we might compromise any future prosecution of this asshat, but frankly, I have to agree with Parker. I’m worried Roberts has set Cressida up so well, she’s the one who is going to end up smeared.”
“I just don’t want to approach him without knowing we’ll be able to pursue every avenue available to us after we get the information we’re seeking. You’re talking about a very calculating and extremely intelligent man who has become focused on a woman he’s never even actually met. That sort of individual is dangerous on a good day, and opening the door to us isn’t going to count as a good day for Dale Roberts.”
